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A26596 A moral discourse of the power of interest by David Abercromby ... Abercromby, David, d. 1701 or 2. 1690 (1690) Wing A83; ESTC R6325 62,955 218

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reported by some of their own Authors to the eternal Infamy of that Nation visibly punish'd ever since for such unparallel'd Cruelties that the Indians were us'd to say They desir'd not to go to Heaven if the Spaniards were to be met with there I am then much mistaken if a meer Zeal upon the account of Religion among Popish Princes particularly be not one of the Vulgar Errors especially when I consider that at the very same time Lewis the Great was persecuting the Hugonots in France he help'd the Protestants in Hungary with considerable Sums against the Emperour doing likewise his utmost Endeavours to engage the Turk in a War against him wherein he succeeded at last as an Instrument in the hand of God to the ruine in all appearance of the Turkish Empire and of his own perhaps at last when his measure is once filled up The English Protestants I confess have not murdered the poor Indians after the Example of the Spaniards as being more inclin'd to mercy by their principles than the Papists but yet to tell the truth of the matter they commit daily a Crime in the West Indies somewhat a-kin to Murder by slighting or hindering as I am inform'd the Conversion of the Negroes or their Indian Slaves least to their loss they should enjoy the Priviledges of Christian Liberty which I conceive to be a very shameful if not a sinful neglect in such as profess the Christian Religion For though no Force is to be us'd but that of Argument to bring men over to our perswasion yet since no Religion can promote true Holiness so much as ours we ought to use our endeavours to set our stragling Neighbours in that way which we think so safe and secure for our selves But yet if it happen that our Reasons how strong soever prevail not to their Conviction as appearing weak to them we are to leave them to God and their own Conscience because it shall not be said to 'em at the last day Go into Eternal Fire for doing against our Judgment but for doing against their own since that and nothing else can be imputed either to them or to us as a sin ARTICLE XLVIII 1. The Sabbath day profan'd 2. And by whom 3. Womens Design in dressing themselves upon the Sabbath day Whether we are to keep holy the Sabbath day that is Saturday which God himself seems to have pitch'd upon or the Sunday chosen by the Church I shall not debate since the common practice of the Christian World from the very Primitive Times silences me upon the matter But the thing that I shall enquire into here is why most people especially Women go to the place of Prayer the Church upon a Sunday as if they went to a Play or to a solemn meeting upon some profane or indifferent account Yea 't is observable That most of them rise early in the morning upon Sundays that they may have time enough to set themselves out to the best advantage in their richest Apparel and if Spanish Wool Spanish Papers and Washes of all sorts are made use of by them at any time 't is particularly then when they are to make their appearance in the Church or Congregation I am then of Opinion that it would look more Primitive if the Ladies came to Church adorn'd like Women professing Godliness in a comely and modest Dress for I take it to be a great profanaion of the Sabbath day though little reflected on and likewise of the very House of God the Church to make such a Figure in it as may either occasion an inward Consent to sin in the weak beholders or withdraw the attention they ought to give to the Preacher This practice of wearing costly Apparel on the Sabbath day though contrary to the Primitive Times is still continued upon the account of a prevailing Interest which is in short this That as not a few shew themselves in all their Glory in the Church upon a secret Design of ensnaring some of their Admirers for their own private ends so others do it upon a more honest account That spreading their Nets after such an inviting way they may catch at last good and rich Husbands ARTICLE XLIX 1. The Cheats of Vulgar Chymists 2. The Three best Catholick Remedies 3. Method of little use against Chronical Distempers I always look'd upon Chymistry as a most necessary and useful Study though I have but very little Veneration for the common Chymists and such among them as have neither the Skill nor the Honesty of the deservedly Famous Robert Boyle of whose Chymical Preparations I can say upon my own Experience That they are the best that ever I tried in any other part of Europe But the Fault I find with the generality of the lower Tribe of Chymists is this That they all pretend to Panacea's to Catholick or Universal Remedies as Potable Gold Miraculous Liquors Powders and Elixirs of all kinds and Names in order to get great Rates for what cost them but little or nothing their Pains excepted For when the pretended Secret is discover'd 't is sometimes found not to be so much as Distill'd Calcin'd or Chymically prepar'd As it happen'd to Talbot's Famous Febrifuge thought at first in France some Extraordinary and Excellent Chymical Preparation Whereas it was known at last by what the French King 's first Physician publish'd of it in a French Treatise to be nothing else but the Jesuits Powder sometimes taken in Substance sometimes in a Tincture with several harmless Additions to hide it the better from the Eyes of the Curious yet if all the Chymical Remedies and pretended Panacea's were as powerful against most Distempers as the Peruvian Bark if skilfully handled is against Agues and intermitting Fevers I should neither think the Praises commonly given them for Interest 's sake by designing men too great nor their Price whatever it were unreasonable But daily Experience teacheth us That generally the common pretended Panacea's are either meer harmless things whether simple or compounded or at the best but ordinary Remedies under the disguise of a Vehicle of a peculiar Preparation or Mixture Though I grant indeed That there are some Excellent and scarce ever failing Remedies against some particular Distempers such I reckon to be the Powder made of the Peruvian Bark against Agues Opium for allaying of Pain the Solution of Seed-Pearl by a Menstruum neither Vrinous Acid nor Alcolisate against Consumptions and inward Decays against Heats Morphew Wrinkles of the Face c. if outwardly applied Yet I do affirm That because of the almost infinite Variety both of Mens Tempers and Distempers we must confess and upon daily Experience too That there is no Panacea or Universal Remedy of all the Infirmities incident to Humane Bodies yet stumbled upon and that whoever pretends to such a rare piece of Knowledge designs in all likelihood to put a Cheat upon Mankind for Interest 's sake I should nevertheless be misunderstood if I were thought not to put a greater value in some Cases upon a good Remedy than upon the most rational Method without such a help For though Method in acute Distempers be absolutely necessary nevertheless against confirm'd and Chronical Infirmities 't is of little or no use without a good Tool So that all the Aphorisms either of Hypocrate or others will avail but little to the ablest Physician call'd to cure an old and inveterate Disease without the Knowledge of a good Specifick or of a Medicine known by Experience to be prevalent in such Cases if skilfully prepar'd and judiciously prescrib'd FINIS My Lord Stares his new principles * A Discourse of Wit Mat. 23. 13.
which if true would seem to imply likewise an absolute Power over his Political Body that is over all the Members of the Catholick Church At least it is certain the Romish Priests look upon the first as an Article of Divine Faith since they hold Transubstantiation to be one and I may safely say they pretend likewise to the latter exalting themselves above all that is called God But not to alarm too much the world with their ambitious Projects they allow the Pope to be Soveraign in spiritual things only not in temporal concerns This famous distinction narrowly look'd into is frivolous and chiefly invented to deceive the unwary there being such a connection between the spiritual and the temporal that whosoever is supposed to be Master of the former may dispose of the latter at his pleasure as whoever Lords over my Soul may influence as he pleases my body because the motions of the one depend much upon the free or necessary determinations of the other However to return to what I first hinted at the pretended Power of Priests over Christ's Body has been one of the Chief Causes and the Original Prop of the now Popish Grandeur For no wonder if the Laicks are real Slaves to such as they look upon as the Makers and absolute Masters in a manner of Christs Body since they can multiply it they say as often as they consecrate Bread and Wine Their Churchmen owe to this assum'd Power the infinite Treasures of Gold and Silver they are possess'd of there being few Churches in any considerable City but which are richly furnish'd with golden Melchisedecks as they call them in Flanders or Suns as they speak in France to lodge the Consecrated Wafer in besides Altars of Massy Gold and Silver Golden Cups of all sorts and other precious Ornaments belonging to the Workmanship of their own hands Christ's Body by an imaginary that is an invisible Miracle transubstantiated The Canonization of their Saints is likewise a gross Contrivance to enrich that part of the Romish Church which resides at Rome Without Money and a great deal too there is no hopes of ever being canoniz'd there the Expence amounting at least to fifty or threescore thousand Crowns payed commonly either by some Popish Prince or by the Religious Orders whom the Canoniz'd Saint when alive belong'd to which gave occasion to a Jesuit of my acquaintance in France to say That he desired no more Canoniz'd Saints in his Order least it should be ruin'd by the extravagant Expences of their Canonization ARTICLE XVI 1. The Worship of the Dead useful to the Living 2. Popish Processions 3. Why Debates about the true Relick of a Saint are never determined in the Popish Countries This minds me of some other pious Frauds of great benefit to most Roman Catholick Cities Among these I need only mention the Religious Worship of the Dead though there be no Revelation of their being in Heaven A City becomes soon rich enough to be envied if it can but be possess'd of the Body of a Reputed Saint or Martyr For then the people repair from all parts to his Shrine to implore God's assistance by his Merits as they speak or Mediation to the great advantage of the Citizens who are more enrich'd by the Money Strangers spend with them both upon Necessaries and Superfluities than the Saint is honour'd either by their Prayers directed to him or by the frequent Masses said at certain rates in his Honour To allure the greater Crowds to this Religious kind of Fair they make at appointed times of the Year solemn Processions with all imaginable Pomp and Magnificence omitting nothing of Show and Pageantry that can contribute to the contenting of Peoples Curiosity and encreasing the Solemnity of the Day which begun with Superstitious and Pagan-like Devotions ends at last in Debauchery Feastings and all other Recreations both lawful and unlawful The Victualling and Publick-Houses are sure to be provided abundantly with all Necessaries upon such occasions as gaining then more sometimes in a few days than they do during the greatest part of the Year by their ordinary and daily trading And this is the Reason why if there arise any Debate about the true Relick of a Saint as there is about St. John Baptist's Head to be found in Two different Cities in Europe It can never be composed because one of the contending Parties must be at a loss by a final decision of the business So that every City stands up as stifly in the Vindication of the Relick the Citizens are in possession of as if it were as really it is in its yearly product a good part of their Estates ARTICLE XVII 1. What sort of Images most in Esteem in the Church of Rome 2. The Proofs of a Miracle done by a Popish Image or Statue 3. The History of the Holy Vial commonly called La Sainte ampoulle 'T is upon the same account that Images not miraculous are of little or no value in the Romish Convents because they are looked upon but as barren Ornaments that serve only to adorn their Walls and not to feed their dainty Palates But their design'd work is done if they can but once perswade the people that some have been deliver'd from dangerous Distempers by praying to the Saint before his Image or Statue which they never fail to take evidence of by engaging the Man or the Woman upon whom the pretended Miracle is wrought to hang up in the Church or Chappel ad perpetuam rei memoriam in remembrance for ever of the wonder the figure of that part of the Body which is said to be cured either in Gold or Silver or in Wax at least in case the concern'd party cannot be at greater Expences Now this Ceremony is always attended with great Liberalities to the good Fathers who do often laugh heartily in their Long Sleeves at the simplicity of the credulous multitude so easily decoy'd into the belief of whatever they please to impose upon them Such another kind of pious Fraud is the Holy Oyl or rather Vial La Sainte ampoulle which I have seen in the Church of St. Remigius of Reims in Champagne It was brought from Heaven by a Pigeon to anoint the first Christian King of France the Oyl being in a congeal'd-like form and made use of in the Coronation of the French Kings without any real if you believe the Common People or at least without any sensible diminution of its Substance because of the little quantity they take of it to mix with other Oyls in order to the anointing of a new King Is it not strange that such a gross and groundless Fable as this is should pass so current and uncontroverted among sensible men that the Citizens of Reims have created des Chevaliers de la Sainte ampoulle Knights of the Holy Vial to be its Angel-Guardians lest any body should rob them of it Yet I am of Opinion lest I should think them down-right Fools that their Zeal